Political parties in this country have not been really responsible and they need to be much more responsible, T.S. Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner, said here on Friday.
Speaking at an event organised by the Triplicane Cultural Academy and Kasturi Srinivasan Library on the theme ‘Political Parties and Future of Democracy’, he said, “This is particularly with the need to respect the Constitution and many of the reforms that have been brought about, particularly the electoral reforms, [because of the] judiciary.” Freebies given should not be such that it favours a particular section of voters because that amounts to bribing, he said. If it for public good, then it can be allowed. “For instance, the construction of schools or stadia [helps the larger public of a constituency] is fine. But you give it to certain section of voters with certain benefits, it is absolutely nothing but bribery,” he added.
He noted, manifestos prepared by political parties are made public at the time of elections and they promise so many things. “They don’t indicate how the funds will be made available to meet those promises. Unfortunately, manifestos have become a big joke. The search for a party with a difference to promote national interest is still on,” he added.
K. Chandru, former Judge of Madras High Court, also spoke during the occasion.
